


only fools rush in

by mythological



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Comedy, Fluff, M/M, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, mark is Bad at keeping secrets, mentions of blood because mark's... a vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24657259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythological/pseuds/mythological
Summary: “What, are you a vampire or something?” Donghyuck asks dryly.Mark wonders if it’s even possible for vampires to pale in horror.(Or, alternatively: Mark is thirsty, and Donghyuck is too smart for his own good.)
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 27
Kudos: 980
Collections: The 97z Steam Cloud Collection





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **to avoid confusion:  
> vampires: mark, yuta, doyoung, johnny, taeyong, and jaehyun  
> humans: haechan + dream  
> witches: taeil, sicheng, and jungwoo
> 
> < thank you to 🧃 for beta'ing this for me. what would i do without you ♡ >

“Ah.”

Mark flinches when the first raindrops hit his nose, and he picks up his pace to get inside the building quickly. The rain had come out of nowhere and Mark regrets not listening to Taeyong this morning when he had told him to take an umbrella with him.

_Damn vampires and their uncanny ability to predict the weather._

He brushes the raindrops off his shoulders and shakes out his hair, stepping into the lobby and heading towards the elevator. Yuta had messaged him saying that he and Doyoung would be visiting with a surprise, and Mark wants to make sure he’s home before they arrive. He trusts Yuta with a lot of things, but being alone in Mark’s apartment isn’t on that list.

“Markie!” Yuta greets when Mark opens the door. “Guess what!”

“Hey, guys,” Mark greets warily. Looks like he hadn’t managed to beat them after all.

“Hello, Mark,” Doyoung greets him in a much calmer manner compared to Yuta and gestures for Mark to enter as if this isn’t Mark’s apartment. “How was your day? Did you finish registering for all your classes?”

It’s been over a century since Mark joined their coven but he’s still not used to the way Doyoung speaks. “Yeah. I registered a few days ago. So what are you guys doing here—?”

The smell hits him then. Mark doesn’t know how it took this long for his senses to register that there’s someone else in his apartment—a _human_ , at that—but now that he’s realized, he resists the urge to cover his nose. He quickly scans the room, panic rising as he vaguely registers the way Doyoung’s eyes narrow at Mark’s reaction.

It’s been almost three centuries now since Mark’s been turned. He should be used to being around humans now, especially since Mark’s been going back to school every now and then to get more degrees. Escapism was a hell of a drug.

But it’s been a while since Mark’s smelled anything like this; not since he was first turned, at least.

“You’ve brought a guest,” he manages to croak out, voice cracking at the end. Doyoung’s eyes flash at the way Mark’s hands start to shake in panic while Yuta remains blissfully oblivious.

“We did,” Doyoung says slowly. “Will that be a problem, Mark?”

From the way he’s talking, Mark can tell that Doyoung had been against this idea. It’s hard to stop Yuta once he has his mind set on something, though, and it seems like not even Doyoung could talk Yuta out of it this time.

“Mark, Mark.” Yuta practically bounces over to where Mark is still standing by the entrance. His eyes are sparkling as he wraps Mark up in a hug. “I brought you a gift.”

“Yuta.” Doyoung’s voice is full of warnings, but Yuta ignores his beloved.

“Remember how you said you’ve been thinking of getting a roommate?” Yuta steers Mark towards the kitchen, the smell getting stronger the closer he gets. “Well, guess what!”

Mark gulps, dreading Yuta’s answer. “You found me a roommate?”

“Yup!” They enter the kitchen, where there’s a stranger sitting at Mark’s table and eating his cereal. Unable to stop himself from recoiling at the smell, Mark comes to a stop, forcing Yuta to also stop walking.

Doyoung, who’s behind them, lets out an audible sigh and gently pushes Mark forward. He keeps a reassuring hand on Mark’s back, though, and he feels better knowing that Doyoung is here to stop him from doing something stupid.

“Meet Donghyuck!” Yuta introduces Mark to the human. Mark thinks that Yuta looks too happy for someone who’s just flipped Mark’s entire world upside down. “He’s going to be a first year, just like you! He's a chemistry major! Donghyuck, meet Mark. He’s a…” Yuta trails off, spinning around and looking confused. “Mark, what’s your major again?”

“Anthropology,” Mark manages to say without his voice cracking. A win for him, he thinks.

“Yes!” Yuta snaps his fingers. “Anthropology.”

“Hi.” The human, _Donghyuck_ , greets, sounding bored. “Nice to meet you, roommate.”

Mark swallows, which serves as a mistake because he ends up choking on his spit. “Nice to meet you too,” he chokes out. Donghyuck gives him a weird look, and Mark wants to die. Again. Not even five minutes in and he’s already weirded out his new roommate. Everything is going fine, Mark thinks.

“You good?” Donghyuck asks, a fake look of concern painted on his face. “I would hate to be left roommate-less before I even move in.”

“I’m okay,” Mark wheezes. Doyoung half-heartedly thumps his back, looking like he regrets taking Mark in from the streets. This is so embarrassing, Mark doesn’t even need to breathe and yet here he is, somehow choking in front of a stranger.

“Well,” Doyoung says, grabbing Mark’s arm. “Now that you two have been acquainted; Mark, a word, please?”

Mark barely has time to blurt out a, “What?” before Doyoung drags him towards the bedrooms. He thinks he hears Donghyuck ask Yuta, “Why does that guy talk like he’s from the Victorian era?” and hears Yuta’s laugh in response.

“You should learn to speak like a modern person, Doyoung,” Mark mutters when Doyoung shuts the door behind him. “People get suspicious of you and your manner of speaking, you know.”

Doyoung scrunches up his nose, looking confused. “What’s wrong with the way I speak? I think it’s perfectly fine. God knows Yuta picks up enough of the humans and their constantly evolving speech enough for the both of us.”

“This is what I mean,” Mark says, rolling his eyes. Doyoung ignores him though, still musing to himself.

“I still don’t understand memes,” Doyoung continues. “Or the slang used on the Internet. Though, I did discover Twitter the other week thanks to Johnny and Jaehyun. Humans are such funny creatures, don’t you think so? Putting everything about their lives on the Internet as if people care.”

“Did you come here to talk to me about the ways of the Internet or to tell me something that’s actually worthwhile?” Mark interrupts, suddenly feeling very tired.

Doyoung pauses, looking like he’s forgotten the reason behind his dragging Mark away. “Oh, yes, that’s right. Your new… roommate,” he says. “The human. Will that be a problem, Mark? Because if it is, Yuta and I can deal with it. I’m sure Jaehyun has Sicheng’s contact information lying around somewhere.”

“What does Sicheng have to do with anything?” Mark asks, pouting in confusion.

Doyoung stares at Mark like he’s an idiot. “He can charm the human into forgetting any of this happened. Do try to keep up, Mark.” A pause, then, “That’s how the humans say it, right?”

“Yeah,” Mark mumbles. “And I don’t know. I should be fine, right? I mean, it’s been almost 300 years. I was just taken aback, I think. I didn’t expect you two to show up with a human of all things today.”

“Yes, I’d imagine.” Doyoung sighs. “Not one of Yuta’s finer ideas, I’ll admit. I should’ve tried harder to talk him out of it, but you know how he can get.” There’s an exasperated, yet fond smile on Doyoung’s face as he says this. “You’ll let us know if having the human as your roommate poses a problem, though, yes?”

“I will.” Mark nods. Doyoung squints, trying to figure out if Mark is lying, but lets it go when he doesn’t sense anything off. “Where did Yuta even find him?”

Doyoung sighs. “On the streets. We ran into him while Yuta was chasing after a dog. He ran right into the poor human. I was scared Yuta might have broken him.”

Yuta picking up a human while chasing a dog isn’t the weirdest thing he’s done, so Mark just nods and accepts it. “Okay.”

“You’ll have to get a mini refrigerator for your room, I believe.” Doyoung has a contemplative expression on his face. “I’m not sure how you would explain the blood bags to the human.”

Oh. Doyoung has a point, like he always does, and Mark finds himself nodding before he even realizes. “Yeah, I’ll get one this weekend.” He pauses. “Wait, aren’t those expensive?”

Doyoung levels him with a stare. “You are an almost 300-year-old vampire, Mark. Are you telling me you haven’t amassed enough _funds_ to pay for a single mini fridge? Didn’t you buy Johnny a pair of those… rather expensive sneakers the other week? What was the brand called, Balance?”

“It’s _Balenciaga_ ,” Mark mumbles. “I’m trying to play the role of a broke college student, okay? All they do is complain about drowning in debt and being too poor to afford to even breathe these days.”

A look of concern flits over Doyoung’s face. “Is that how the youth play around these days? Humour has really deteriorated over the past few years, hasn’t it.”

Before Mark can answer, Yuta pokes his head into the bedroom, looking at them curiously.

“What are you two up to? Doie, we should get going. Taeyong’s asking us where we are, and Mark should get to know his roommate.” Yuta beams at the end of his sentence, as if he’s just proposed a brilliant idea instead of one that sets Mark’s nervousness off again.

“I think that you guys leaving is a terrible idea,” he squeaks out, trying to resist when Yuta grabs his arm to pull him back into the kitchen, where Donghyuck is waiting. “Why don’t you guys stay for dinner?” he desperately suggests.

Yuta gives him a funny look. “Silly Mark. Doie doesn’t like to eat human food, and I’ve already helped myself to a hotdog earlier. Perhaps you should feed your human, though? I hear they get hungry pretty often.”

The way Yuta speaks makes it sound like Mark was just given a pet dog or something, and he slaps his forehead as he prays that Yuta hadn’t talked to Donghyuck like this. “He already helped himself to my cereal. I think he’s good for now.”

“You’re back,” Donghyuck greets when the three of them walk into the kitchen. “What, were you two talking shit?”

Mark tries to hide the way he flinches at Donghyuck’s blunt words. “Uh, no?”

“Convincing,” Donghyuck says dryly. “You should work on your poker face.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Donghyuck.” Doyoung cuts in before Mark can say anything else, which is a relief. “I pray that you and Mark will be able to get along.”

Donghyuck stares at Doyoung. “Has anyone told you that you talk like you came straight from, like, the Victorian era or something?”

All three vampires in the room freeze, though it’s subtle enough that it’s impossible to tell with human eyes.

“He gets told that a lot, yes!” Yuta laughs. Mark knows him well enough to know how fake his laugh is. “It’s one of his charms, don’t you think so?”

“I wouldn’t say it exactly like that, but sure.” Donghyuck shrugs, not looking like he cares too much. He checks his watch. “So… Are we, like, getting dinner together or something?”

Mark stares at his now-empty cereal box and thinks back to how it had been full when he left this morning. “Are you hungry?”

“I just ate all your cereal, Mark,” Donghyuck says. “I’m asking out of politeness.”

“Unfortunately, Yuta and I have prior arrangements.” Doyoung pushes Yuta towards the door before he can say anything else and turns to face Mark. Yuta’s protests are silenced by a single look from Doyoung, and he shuffles away with a pout. “Mark.” Doyoung fixates on him with an expectant look. “Won’t you be a dear and walk us out?”

“Uh, sure.”

He watches as Doyoung puts on his shoes. Yuta had already left, most likely waiting for Doyoung outside. “You’ll call if something goes wrong, right?” Doyoung’s gaze is piercing, and Mark flinches. “Mark.”

“Are you really leaving?” Mark tries not to whine, but he can’t help it. “Doyoung, this is the worst thing to ever happen to me.”

“Nonsense.” Doyoung waves Mark’s remarks away. “Plenty of worse things have happened to you, Mark. Remember when—”

“Okay,” Mark interrupts loudly before Doyoung can force him to relive any of his embarrassing moments. “Goodbye, Doyoung.”

Doyoung laughs, stepping out into the hallway of the building. “Will you be stopping by home before the term starts? I know you stayed over this past weekend, but Johnny wasn’t home and he’ll be sad he missed your visit.”

“Maybe. I’ll have to see.”

“Okay.” Doyoung nods and walks off towards the elevator. “I’ll see you later then, Mark. Do get along with your new roommate.”

Once Doyoung gets on the elevator and disappears, Mark lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and shuts the door, mentally preparing himself to face Donghyuck.

Nothing could’ve prepared Mark for this, however, and when he turns around, he finds that Donghyuck has somehow managed to sneak up behind him, staring at him with thinly veiled curiosity.

“So.” A scary looking grin takes over Donghyuck’s face as he studies Mark. “Which room is mine?”

His roommate is going to eat him alive, Mark realizes with dread as Donghyuck saunters away to presumably explore the apartment. His roommate is going to eat him alive, and there is nothing Mark can do about it.

⋆⋆⋆

Jungwoo doesn’t stop laughing the entire time Mark is telling the story, much to Mark’s ire. “Stop laughing at me,” he hisses, which just causes Jungwoo to laugh even harder. “Jungwoo!”

“Okay, okay.” Jungwoo tries his best to contain his giggles. It’s a valiant effort, one that fails, and soon enough he’s sent into yet another fit of laughter at the sight of Mark’s petulant expression. A deep breath, then, “Okay.” Jungwoo looks like he’s not done laughing quite yet but manages to control himself. “So, what’s he like? Your new, shiny human toy.”

“He’s not a _toy_ ,” Mark hisses. “He’s my roommate. And I don’t know. He left right after Doyoung and Yuta did. Something about packing? He showed up yesterday with all his stuff and went to bed as soon as he finished moving in.”

“You see humans for a couple thousand years and they’re all the same.” Jungwoo waves Mark’s comment off, and that’s when Mark is once again reminded just how young he is compared to everyone and just how much Jungwoo’s probably seen. The light in his eyes dim as a wistful expression takes over Jungwoo’s face. “Just don’t fall in love with them. It’s hard enough making friends with humans only to have them wither away while you’re forced to watch, but falling in love… Now _that’s_ a different kind of pain.”

“What kind of different?” Mark asks quietly.

“The unbearable kind. The kind you never want to go through again.”

Mark thinks of the boy with bright eyes who had been full of laughter, and how Jungwoo had adored him to bits and pieces.

“Okay,” Mark replies. “Okay.”

⋆⋆⋆

Being roommates with Donghyuck is surprisingly easy at first. Their schedules seem to clash in a way that they’re usually never home at the same time, and while Mark prefers to stay in on the weekends to catch up on homework or dramas, Donghyuck likes to go out with his friends. It’s a nice arrangement, Mark thinks. He stays out of Donghyuck’s way, and Donghyuck stays out of his.

And slowly but surely, Mark thinks he’s starting to get used to Donghyuck’s scent. He’s not sure why it throws him off so much compared to when he’s in a lecture hall filled to the brim with humans, but he tries to tell himself that it’s just the close proximity.

(Which is complete bullshit if you really think about it, considering how he has to practically sit elbow-to-elbow with the students next to him because of how small and cramped the lecture halls are. Mark personally thinks that if the university is stealing _that_ much money from students, they can afford to get larger lecture halls. But that’s just him. What does he know?)

Unlike the previous times he’s gone back to school, Mark spends a lot of time on his own. Sometimes Jungwoo likes to show up on campus unannounced, forcing Mark to take him on a tour around a campus that he himself barely knows, but aside from those random visits, Mark keeps to himself.

“It’s halfway through the semester,” Jungwoo says as if Mark needs the reminder. He had forgotten about the hell that is midterm week, and he finds himself regretting every single decision that led up to this moment. “You should make some friends.”

Mark stares. “Weren’t you the one who told me _not_ to make friends with the humans?”

“No, I told you not to fall in love with them,” Jungwoo corrects. “There’s a difference between making friends with humans and falling in love with one, my dearest Markles.”

“I think I’m good.” Mark sighs, flipping through his textbook, retaining absolutely nothing that’s written on the pages. “I think I get attached too easily. I’m probably going to withdraw after this year, anyways.”

Jungwoo raises an eyebrow. “That’s news to me. Aren’t you the only one in your coven who actually manages to stay all four years and leave with another degree under your belt?”

Mark hums in thought. “Johnny usually stays for all four years. So does Doyoung. It’s Yuta who always ends up getting bored and dropping out. Taeyong doesn’t even bother going back because he said he hated studying as a human, so he doesn’t want to have to do it again as a vampire.”

“Typical Taeyong,” Jungwoo snorts, shaking his head with a fond smile. “So, why do you plan on dropping out after this year?”

“I don’t know if I am yet.” Mark shrugs. He closes his textbook and sets it to the side. He should’ve known from the second Jungwoo ambushed him outside of the humanities building that he wouldn’t be able to get any studying done today. “Just not feeling this one, I guess.”

“Is it the roommate?” Jungwoo questions.

Mark scrunches up his nose. “I wouldn’t drop out just because I don’t like my roommate, Woo. If anything, I could just move out after the year is over and find a new place.”

Jungwoo continues to prod. “Then what is it?”

“I don’t know.” Mark sighs, drumming his fingers on the table. “Enrolling here was kind of a ‘spur of the moment’ decision. I just wanted to get away from the coven for a bit. It was getting a little suffocating.”

Jungwoo makes a sympathetic noise, a level of understanding flooding his eyes. “I get what you mean. It’s nice and all, having a family who’ll protect you from anything, but having a little freedom every now and then is nice, too.”

“You get me.” The corners of Mark’s lips quirk up into an amused smile. “Didn’t you once run away for an entire century?”

“Taeil nags too much sometimes,” Jungwoo grumbles unhappily. “Besides, it can’t be considered running away if Taeil knew where I was the entire time. He just left me alone because he knew I needed space. Anyways.” Jungwoo straightens up, his eyes going bright with excitement. “You promised to show me the dining hall next time I came. I haven’t been to a dining hall on a college campus in _years_.”

Mark rolls his eyes, packing up his belongings since he knows there’s no stopping Jungwoo once he wants something. “It’s not much,” he tells Jungwoo. “Don’t get your hopes up too high. It literally just looks like a food court.”

“What is a… food court?” Jungwoo looks at Mark in what can only be described as pure confusion, and Mark has to pause.

“You know… like a court with… food,” he says lamely. “At the malls?”

Jungwoo’s confusion stays on his face and Mark mentally facepalms. He forgets how uninclined these stupid supernaturals are when it comes to adapting to advancements in human society.

“It’s a big area full of shops selling food,” Mark explains more simply. “You’ll see when we get there. Seriously, though. Keep your expectations low. It’s filled with nothing but the smell of grease and the despair of college students.”

“Sounds exciting.” Jungwoo nods solemnly. “Lead the way, Markles.”

Mark rolls his eyes, picking up his bag. He opens the door, gesturing for Jungwoo to leave the room.

Damn supernaturals and their stupid curiosity for human culture, Mark inwardly curses. Still, it was either this or befriend humans, and Mark was far from reaching that point yet.

⋆⋆⋆

When Mark emerges after holing himself in his room post-midterms disaster, he immediately recoils at how intense the smell is. Because Donghyuck is rarely home, his scent had just lingered faintly around the kitchen and the hallway bathroom. Mark wasn’t prepared in the slightest for this.

“You’re home,” Mark says weakly, inching towards the living room as slowly as he can. Donghyuck is lounging on the couch, snacking on Mark’s chips. His eyes flicker from the TV towards Mark for a split second before returning to the screen.

“Yeah.” Donghyuck throws a handful of chips into his mouth, chewing loudly. “Jaemin ditched me because he has a hangover, and Renjun went back home to visit his baby boyfriend.” He pauses, looking at Mark again. “Do you not want me to be home?”

Mark’s eyes widen, and he shakes his head in panic. “It’s not that,” he says. “I was just surprised, that’s all. You’re barely home, so…”

The subtle scent of sadness that had wafted through the air before disappears at Mark’s words, and Donghyuck looks oddly pleased that Mark doesn’t mind him being home. “Good. I do pay for half the rent, after all.” He pats the space next to him, inviting Mark to join him. “Wanna watch reruns of shitty dramas with me?”

He shouldn’t. He really shouldn’t, not when his nerves feel like they’ve been set on fire and it’s taking everything in Mark’s power to not _pounce_.

The longer the silence stretches out, however, the more awkward it gets. Donghyuck shifts in his seat, looking disappointed when Mark just stares at him, and Mark wonders if Donghyuck can see the mild horror that’s probably all over Mark’s face.

“Let me… grab something to eat first,” Mark manages to say. Donghyuck’s eyes light up in understanding and he nods. Mark can feel Donghyuck’s eyes on him as he scurries towards the kitchen, where the smell isn’t as strong.

Mark remembers Doyoung’s words from what feels like ages ago. _Will it be a problem?_ Doyoung had asked. He regrets answering no at the time.

He grabs a granola bar before pausing and grabbing another one. In the few times he’s run into Donghyuck, Mark’s learned that he has a habit of stealing people’s food, and decides it’s better to bring an extra, just in case.

“Have you ever watched Boys Over Flowers?” Donghyuck asks when Mark sits down. He keeps some distance between the two of them, which Donghyuck definitely notices if the way he eyes the empty space is anything to go by.

“Only a couple of episodes,” Mark says. “My, uh, last roommate was a bit of a drama addict so I watched whenever he had it turned on.”

(Doyoung’s drama craze had been a nightmare to everyone in their coven, and Mark’s just glad that it’s Yuta who’s forced to marathon the dramas with him now, though Yuta doesn’t seem to mind and usually indulges Doyoung with fond amusement.)

“It’s the worst,” Donghyuck informs him. “Seriously, I watched this when I was a kid and thought it was the best thing ever, but rewatching it now made me realize just how stupid everyone in the drama was.”

Mark finds himself smiling without even realizing. “Isn’t that just because you’re older than the characters now? It’s set in high school, right?”

“It is.” Donghyuck pouts. “But even aside from that, it’s so unnecessarily dramatic.” He launches into a rant about how the male lead thinks his money will solve anything and how the female lead can’t seem to make up her mind at all. It surprises Mark at how easy it is to fall into rhythm with Donghyuck, listening to him complain about how unrealistic everything about the drama is—as if that’s not the whole point of them.

Neither of them pay too much attention to the drama that plays in the background, too busy talking instead. Mark listens while Donghyuck rambles, his amusement growing whenever he asks a question and Donghyuck launches into a whole new rant.

It’s scary how comfortable Mark gets in such a short amount of time. It seems like time passes in a blink of an eye, and before Mark knows it, Donghyuck is getting up in search of food.

“Do you want to grab dinner together?” Donghyuck asks, hesitation coating his voice. “I know we’re not like, super close or whatever, but we should get to know each other a little, right? Since we’re roommates and all.”

The topic of dinner causes something in Mark to light up again and the smell of Donghyuck slams into his face like a freight train. He can’t do this, he thinks in a panic. He can’t drink a blood bag in front of Donghyuck while he eats his human food, but Mark can’t think of a viable excuse.

“We can go out,” Donghyuck suggests, blissfully unaware of Mark’s panic, not realizing that he’s just given Mark an opening. “Jeno told me that a new chicken place opened up nearby, so we can go there?”

“Sure,” Mark agrees. He can drink his blood bag while getting ready. “Let me just… change.”

“Okay.” Donghyuck visibly brightens at Mark’s agreement. “I’ll go get ready, too.”

Mark slumps into the sofa as he watches Donghyuck practically skip towards his room. He allows himself exactly ten seconds of silent panic before getting up to go get ready as well. Being surrounded by the smell of _other_ humans and fried chicken should be enough to mask the smell of Donghyuck, he tries to convince himself.

“It’s going to be okay,” he says to himself as he stares at the wall, drinking his blood bag with a blank expression. “It’s going to be okay, Mark.”

⋆⋆⋆

It is definitely _not_ okay, and Mark really can’t understand why Donghyuck’s smell seems to overpower literally everything else around the restaurant. It’s small enough that Mark should be able to smell the oil being used to fry the chicken from the kitchens, but all he can smell is _Donghyuck_ , and Mark can’t quite find the words to express just how horrified he is.

Not even the three blood bags had been able to satiate him, apparently, because he can’t help but zero in on Donghyuck’s neck while the latter attacks his food with vigour Mark’s never seen before on anyone.

“I have three younger siblings,” Donghyuck explains when he catches Mark staring. “Mealtimes were honestly a warzone everyday in our family.”

“That sounds like fun.” Mark hopes the smile on his face doesn’t look as forced as it feels. From the way Donghyuck doesn’t seem to find anything wrong with it, though, tells Mark that his fake smiles have improved over the decades of practice.

Donghyuck shudders. “It wasn’t. I had to keep an eye out for my food or else my brothers would try to steal from my plate.”

Mark can’t remember much about his family from when he was human. He can’t remember whether he had any siblings or not, nor his parents' faces. The only thing Mark can really remember is that his father had been a farmer of some sort, and that they had struggled to put food on the table more often than not.

He hopes that his family was as warm as Donghyuck’s, though.

“I was always jealous of people who have big families,” Mark finds himself saying. It’s the first time he’s been so honest to someone outside of his coven and Jungwoo.

Donghyuck pauses at that, tilting his head curiously. “Are you an only child?”

“I don’t know,” Mark answers truthfully. “I don’t, uh, remember my family.”

“Oh.” The look on Donghyuck’s face is full of sympathy, and Mark figures he’ll just play along to whatever it is that Donghyuck is assuming right now. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s been a long time.” An understatement, but Donghyuck doesn’t have to know that. “I’ve come to terms with it. I have my co—uh, brothers now.”

“The people who picked me up from the streets?” Donghyuck asks, chewing on his chicken with a thoughtful expression. “The blond one was weird, and the other one seemed really old. Like, _super_ old.”

Doyoung is over two thousand years old, Mark wants to tell him, but he can’t. “Haha. Yeah. An old soul he is, that Doyoung.”

“Like.” Donghyuck frowns. “He seriously talks like he was born at the same time as Shakespeare.”

Mark is going to attempt to strangle Doyoung. “He has a thing for Shakespeare.”

Donghyuck scrunches up his face. “Who likes _Shakespeare_?”

Mark shrugs helplessly. “Doyoung, apparently.”

“That’s weird.”

“Tell me about it.”

⋆⋆⋆

After the impromptu ‘get to know your roommate day’, Donghyuck starts to hang around the apartment more and more, causing Mark to grow more and more insane with each passing day.

“You’ve got to help me,” Mark finds himself begging Jungwoo on one, fateful Sunday morning. He had barely managed to get away from Donghyuck’s attempts to get him to meet his friends, stuttering out a lie about having a project due and bolting out of the apartment. “Jungwoo, his smell drives me _nuts_. I haven’t had this much problem controlling myself around a human since I was first turned!”

Jungwoo studies him with a thoughtful expression. “Do you think he’s one of them? The ones with rare blood?”

Mark’s brain screeches to a halt. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, man.” Jungwoo sighs. “I forget how young you are sometimes.” He gestures for Mark to take a seat instead of pacing around the room like a mad man, and pours a cup of tea for him. “Drink. It’ll calm you.”

“I don’t need tea,” Mark hisses but downs it anyways. He can barely feel the burn, and accepts another cup grudgingly. He always forgets how good Jungwoo’s tea is. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Jungwoo pours a cup for himself before settling in, getting comfortable for what Mark expects will be a long explanation. “So, you already know that there are two types of vampires, right? The ones who managed to assimilate themselves into human society, like you guys, and the ones who are, ah, a bit more in _tune_ with their… _nature_.”

It’s a polite way of saying _savages_ —the ones who still hunt humans for sport and don’t hesitate to kill.

“Yeah,” Mark says. “I know.”

“And you already know that there aren’t too many of them left anymore,” Jungwoo continues. “When your kind established a society, one of the first things that they did was hunt them down.”

“Because they were mass murdering humans,” Mark says, remembering the stories Doyoung and Johnny would tell him.

“Right.” Jungwoo nods. “But most importantly, they were hunting down a special group of humans.”

Mark frowns. He hadn’t known that. “What do you mean?”

“There are a handful of humans who are born with a rare type of blood,” Jungwoo explains. “It’s completely random. I’ve been researching them for centuries, but I still can’t explain why some people are born with it and why some people aren’t.”

“Genetics?” Mark offers, but Jungwoo shakes his head.

“No,” he says. “A family with no history of having that rare blood will suddenly have a child born with the blood. Who knows what’s the cause behind it; maybe it’s some god picking humans at random. Anyways, point is: If your roommate is driving you _that_ insane, there’s a chance he might be a human with rare blood, which is pretty dangerous for you.”

It would make sense. Donghyuck’s blood _does_ smell sweeter to Mark than any other human’s, but it doesn’t explain why Mark seems to be the only one affected. “But Yuta and Doyoung seemed fine around him.”

Jungwoo pauses. “Huh. Well then, who knows?”

“Thanks, Jungwoo,” Mark deadpans. “You are absolutely no help whatsoever.”

“I try my best.” Jungwoo flashes him a wide grin. “Maybe he’s just your soulmate, or whatever. I’ve heard of that happening to some vampires too.”

He ducks with a yelp when Mark hurls a cushion at him, cackling when Mark threatens to throw his cup at him as well.

⋆⋆⋆

In the end, Jungwoo kicks him out with a charm that’ll supposedly help lessen the intensity of Donghyuck’s smell.

(“Just hang it somewhere in the apartment,” Jungwoo had said. “It doesn’t matter where. The charm is powerful enough to cover the entire apartment. Sicheng made it!”)

Donghyuck isn’t home, thankfully, which gives Mark plenty of time to try and figure out where he could hang the charm without Donghyuck noticing. Worst case scenario, he’ll just tell Donghyuck that it was a gift from a friend.

He decides to hang it behind the bookshelf, since Donghyuck usually avoids it like the plague. Fond of watching shitty dramas, but not very fond of books. Duly noted.

When he hears the lock turn, signaling Donghyuck’s arrival, Mark scurries off to his bedroom to pretend to be asleep. He’s not sure how much he can trust Sicheng’s charms, considering that the last time Mark saw Sicheng’s magic in action, Jaehyun had spent two weeks as a bunny while the three witches their coven had become acquainted with tried to figure out how to turn him back.

He hears Donghyuck open his door to peek in, no doubt trying to see if Mark’s sleeping, and there’s a faint smell of disappointment lingering in the air when he quietly closes the door. Mark buries his head under his pillow, trying to ignore the way his stomach churns.

⋆⋆⋆

(Sicheng’s charm does not, in fact, _help_ , and Mark learns this the hard way when he saunters out of his room the next morning feeling confident that he won’t want to jump his roommate today.

“Good morning,” Donghyuck chirps from where he’s sitting on top of the kitchen island. He doesn’t make a comment at how Mark flinches so hard that his head hits the wall behind him. “Did you manage to finish your project?”

“Yeah,” Mark squeaks out. “I have to go, uh, brush my teeth.”

“I just heard you brushing your teeth, though?” He hears Donghyuck mumble to himself in confusion, and Mark wants to find the nearest cave and hole himself inside for the next century or so.)

⋆⋆⋆

“Question.” Donghyuck corners him one morning before Mark can leave for his classes. “Do you not like me or something?”

Mark blinks, trying his best not to inhale too deeply. They’re too close for Mark’s liking, and he’s not confident that he’ll be able to control himself. “No?”

“No as in you don’t like me, or no as in you don’t not like me?” Donghyuck frowns, and Mark’s sleep-deprived brain is too tired to decipher Donghyuck’s words.

He rubs his eyes. “I don’t not like you.” A pause. “Wait, does that even make sense?”

“So you don’t mind having me as your roommate?” Donghyuck pokes Mark’s side, frowning immediately at the pain that probably shoots up his fingers. “Ouch. Do you work out, or something?”

“Or something,” Mark replies. “No, I don’t mind having you as a roommate, Hyuck.” The nickname slips out without him meaning to.

“But you’ve been avoiding me,” Donghyuck points out. There’s a pout on his face, and he leans in even closer. “Why?”

He has to bring his hand up to cover his nose, which Donghyuck frowns at.

“What are you doing?” He demands.

“Um.” Mark’s eyes dart around the room in panic. “Covering my nose?”

“Why?”

“Because.” Mark is going to die. Again. “You kind of… smell?”

Donghyuck looks offended at that. “Excuse you, but I just showered.”

“Not like that. Look, I don’t mind having you as my roommate, okay? Can you just let this go?” Mark begs, but Donghyuck doesn’t let him off the hook.

“What do you mean I smell, then?” Donghyuck complains before pausing. “What, are you a vampire or something?” he asks dryly.

Mark wonders if it’s even possible for vampires to pale in horror. His brain goes blank as Donghyuck steps closer, invading all of his senses. He can’t hear a single word that Donghyuck is saying anymore and when Mark blinks, he finds that he has Donghyuck pinned to the wall.

“What the fuck,” Donghyuck breathes out, staring at Mark with wide eyes. “What are you—?”

Mark curses, wrenching himself away and putting distance between the two of them faster than Donghyuck can blink. They stare at each other, one in surprise and the other in horror, and Mark bolts out of the apartment before Donghyuck can say anything.

He fucked up. He hasn’t fucked up this badly since joining Taeyong’s coven, and Mark doesn’t know what to do.

When he bangs on the door of the coven’s house, feeling frazzled and probably looking like it as well, he finds that only Johnny is home.

“Uh.” He stares at Mark with wide eyes. “Dude, you good?”

“Johnny,” Mark breathes, feeling like he’s going to start crying. “I fucked up.”

“Come inside.” Johnny ushers Mark inside and shuts the door before their nosy neighbors try poking their heads in where they don’t belong. “I’m the only one home, though, is that okay?”

Mark feels his lip wobbling. “Yeah. That’s fine.”

Johnny forces him to sit on the couch before sprinting off to the kitchen, no doubt searching for something to hopefully calm Mark down. He’s back in no time with a cup of what smells like hot chocolate, forcing Mark to take the mug.

“When you’ve calmed down,” Johnny says, “you can tell me what’s wrong.”

He finishes half of the hot chocolate before speaking up. “Yuta found me a roommate,” he decides to start from the beginning, “but you guys already know that.”

“Yeah. The human, right?” Johnny says slowly. “Did you…?”

“No!” Mark yelps, head whipping to the side to look at Johnny in horror. “I didn’t bite him.” He hesitates, looking down at his hot chocolate in shame and whispers, “But I almost did.”

Johnny takes a few seconds to absorb what Mark had just said. “I thought you told Doyoung that it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“I did,” Mark mutters. “And it shouldn’t have been. I’ve been surrounded by humans for so long that it _shouldn’t_ have been a problem. But Johnny, you don’t understand. The only thing I can ever smell is _him_ , even when we’re in some tiny ass, cramped chicken restaurant. I should’ve been able to smell the oil, or even the uncooked chicken because of how small the place was, but all I could smell was him! Him, and nothing else.”

He looks up at Johnny again. Mark knows he probably looks like a panicked wild animal. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Finish your hot chocolate,” Johnny says, looking like he’s still trying to process Mark’s words. “Finish your hot chocolate, and then we’ll talk.”

He gets up, leaving Mark sitting on the couch alone. He doesn’t come back until long after Mark’s finished his hot chocolate, and Mark looks up from where his head had been buried between his knees when he hears Johnny coming down the stairs.

“Have I ever told you about me and Taeyong?” Johnny asks, handing Mark a blood bag. “About how we met, I mean.”

“No.” Mark shakes his head. “I’ve only heard about Doyoung and Yuta.”

Johnny has a fond smile on his face. “I met Taeyong when I was still human. He was so beautiful that I fell in love at first sight, you know?” 

Mark finds himself snorting, rolling his eyes at the dopey smile on his face. “You’re so gross, Johnny.”

“Just wait until you fall in love, you brat.” Johnny hits him upside the head, the smile never leaving his face. “Anyways, I thought Taeyong hated me at first. He would avoid me like I was some sort of plague. It wasn’t until Yuta explained to me _why,_ that I understood.”

“Why did he avoid you?” Mark tilts his head. He can’t imagine Taeyong trying to avoid Johnny, not when they seem to be always attached at the hip now.

“Do you believe in soulmates, Mark?” Johnny asks. He laughs when Mark shakes his head. “Good, because they don’t exist. Not for real, anyways, but did you know that we, vampires, _do_ have humans we’re more attracted to?”

Mark hadn’t known that. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Johnny nods, smiling comfortingly. “It’s rare, to be honest. Most vampires go, well, forever without meeting them, or sometimes by the time they meet, the other person has already been turned. Do you know about humans with the rare blood?”

“I do.” Mark nods. “Jungwoo explained them to me the other day.”

Johnny hums in approval. “Good. Well, it’s sort of similar to that. Nobody can explain _why_ we’re attracted to some people more than others. It just is.”

“So,” Mark deadpans. “Are you telling me that Donghyuck is my fucking soulmate?”

Johnny hits him upside the head again. “Don’t curse. Taeyong will have my head if he hears you. And I just told you that soulmates don’t exist, you brat. Were you not listening?”

Mark rolls his eyes and rubs the back of his head with a sullen look. “But that’s what it sounds like! You’re basically saying that the reason I have a hard time controlling myself around Donghyuck is because I’m more _attracted_ to him. What else can that mean?”

Johnny shrugs. “It can mean whatever you want it to mean, Mark. My point is, somehow you ended up being roommates with that person, which is probably why you’re having problems with your control.”

“So, what do I do?” Mark panics. “I almost bit him, Johnny. I pinned him to the wall and almost bit him.”

“Just tell him,” Johnny deadpans. When Mark looks at him in disbelief, he holds up his palms in surrender. “What? It’s not against some ancient rule to tell him, you know. Plenty of humans know we exist. Just, you know, try not to tell him in public, or something.”

The thought of telling Donghyuck what he is horrifies Mark to no end. “I cannot tell him I’m a vampire, Johnny. He’s going to call me crazy and try to get me admitted into a hospital, or something.”

“That’s what Sicheng is for,” Johnny says serenely. “His memory charm will come in handy.”

Mark wishes that he wasn’t the youngest so that he could hit Johnny back. “You are the absolute worst.”

“Thank you.” Johnny grins. “I try my best.”

⋆⋆⋆

Mark tries. He honest to god _tries_ to catch Donghyuck so that they can sit down and talk, but his roommate decides that it’s time for him to avoid Mark like the plague, and so all Mark can do is helplessly stare at the door to Donghyuck’s bedroom.

 **Mark** [9.23pm]: dude u have to help me  
 **Mark** [9.23pm]: jungwoo plz

 **Jungwoo** [9.24pm]: umm  
 **Jungwoo** [9.24pm]: im busy sorry  
 **Jungwoo** [9.24pm]: lol

Mark closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, silently counting to ten. _Thou shalt not murder_ , he chants like a mantra. _Do not murder Jungwoo, Mark. Jungwoo is your friend._

Mid-chant, he hears the lock clicking and Mark opens his eyes, staring at the door that’s opening slowly. He watches as Donghyuck pokes his head in before cautiously stepping inside. Mark pats himself on the back for keeping the lights off in hopes of catching Donghyuck off guard.

“You’re home,” Mark greets when Donghyuck’s taken off his shoes. Donghyuck jumps and tries to leave again, but Mark’s already there, blocking the exit. “We have to talk.”

“What the fuck.” Donghyuck stares at him with wide eyes. “How did you get here so fast? What the fuck?”

Mark stifles a sigh. “That’s what we have to talk about.”

“Your inhumane speed?” Donghyuck chokes out. “Yeah, we need to talk about that, because what the hell, dude?”

“Do you want to sit down?” Mark tilts his head towards the sofa. He hopes that his panic doesn’t show. “We really, _really_ need to talk.”

Donghyuck exhales, looking like talking is the last thing he wants to do, but nods anyways. “Yeah, okay.” He lets himself be led towards the couch, and Mark mumbles a “be right back” before disappearing into the kitchen to make two cups of hot chocolate.

“So.” Mark waits for Donghyuck to take a sip before talking. “About the other day.”

He watches anxiously as Donghyuck sets down his mug and turns to Mark with a frown. “Yeah, what the hell was that? First you tell me that I _smell,_ then pin me to a wall and sniff me? Are you a dog, or something?”

Mark winces. “Your first guess was right,” he says weakly.

Donghyuck’s face is blank. “What first guess?”

“You don’t remember.” Mark deflates, because he had kind of been banking on the hope that Donghyuck would remember. “Of course you don’t,” he sighs. “You guys have such short term memory. How you guys get anything done is beyond me, honestly,” he grumbles.

“You’re doing it again.” Donghyuck frowns. “Why do you talk like that?”

“You asked me why I’ve been avoiding you,” Mark says, ignoring Donghyuck’s question. Donghyuck doesn’t appreciate being ignored, though, evident in the way he slaps his arm with a frown. “Ouch.”

“What the fuck,” Donghyuck hisses, clutching his hand in pain. “Dude, you’re like rock hard. How is that even possible?”

“I’m a vampire,” Mark blurts out. Donghyuck stares at him. Mark stares back.

“Are you alright in the head?” Donghyuck reaches over to check Mark’s temperature, looking concerned. “Dude, do you want me to take you to the clinic, or something?”

Mark flinches at their close proximity and gently pushes Donghyuck’s hand away from him. “You don’t believe me.”

Donghyuck gives him a weird look. “Of course I don’t. Did you really think I would?”

Mark groans, throwing his head back to stare up at the ceiling in defeat. “I told Johnny that you would think I’m crazy, but did he believe me? No, of course not. They think that they know so much more than I do just because I’m the youngest, but I’m the only one out of us that actually tries to adapt to your culture! Taeyong didn’t learn how to use an iPhone until, like, three months ago!”

Donghyuck stares at Mark as if he’s lost it. “Mark,” he says gently. “I’ll ask you one more time: Are you alright in the head?”

“Yes,” Mark bites out. “You’re the one who asked if I was a vampire in the first place, you know.”

“Okay, even if I did, you do realize how crazy you sound, right?” Donghyuck frowns. “Show me proof.”

Mark lets his head fall forward again so that he can stare at Donghyuck, feeling incredulous. “You want me to show you proof… that I’m a vampire?”

“Yes.”

“Me pinning you to the wall, smelling up your neck, and moving to block the exit before you could even blink wasn’t enough?”

Donghyuck opens his mouth before closing it again. He thinks for a second and says, “Okay, so maybe you did show me some proof. But that’s not enough.”

Mark doesn’t even know why he’s trying so hard to convince this human, but maybe he’s just tired of having to tiptoe around his own apartment like he’s not allowed to be here. “What can I do to prove it, then?”

Donghyuck has a wicked smile on his face, and it doesn’t take long for Mark to learn that he should feel scared when he sees that smile. “Bite me.”

Mark’s breath hitches and he stares at Donghyuck with wide eyes. “You’re crazy,” he declares. “Absolutely insane.”

Cackling, Donghyuck gets up from the couch and pats Mark on the head. “See?” He coos, not frightened in the least by the intensity of Mark’s glare. “I knew you wouldn’t do it. We can put whatever the hell that was the other night behind us and I’ll ignore your inhumane speed. Goodnight, Mark. See you in the morning.”

With that, Donghyuck skips off towards his room, leaving behind a shocked Mark as he stares at the empty space which Donghyuck had occupied a few seconds ago.

“What the fuck,” he whispers into the abyss, burying his face into his hands. “What the fuck just happened.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **warning, there's a scene with an attempted (vampire) attack. if you want to skip it, stop reading at "A whimper" and start again at "Mark is helping him sit up" !!**

Donghyuck’s roommate is weird. Like, really fucking weird.

He talks as if he’s a million years old sometimes, to start it off—acting like he’s not exactly human. It throws Donghyuck off whenever he does, but he shrugs it off and just chalks it up to it being Mark’s personal brand of weirdness.

Next, he has some really, _really_ weird friends. The blonde one had been okay, but the other one (his boyfriend, Donghyuck thinks, but he’s not exactly sure) had talked as if Donghyuck was below him, with vocabulary straight out of some Victorian-era novel.

Up to there is fine, Donghyuck thinks. Weird, but fine. His friends are pretty weird too, and Donghyuck can understand that. He gets it.

The weirdest part, though, is when Mark tries to convince Donghyuck that he’s a vampire.

“I mean,” Donghyuck waves his fork around incredulously, “what does he take me for? An idiot?”

“Probably,” Renjun says boredly. He has a frown on his face as he works through his problem sets. “You can be pretty stupid sometimes.”

“Yeah, but not around _him_ ,” Donghyuck hisses. “The worst thing I’ve done in front of him is trip over thin air, which is mild, considering the shit I get up to with you lot.”

Jaemin tsks. “Don’t act like you’re not the mastermind behind half the shit we do, Duckie. Besides, who knows? Maybe your roommate really is a vampire and the reason he used to avoid you like you’re a bug is because of your blood.”

Donghyuck stares at Jaemin like he’s grown another head. “You’re insane, Na.”

“No.” Renjun looks up and sets down his calculator. “Jaemin has a point. Assuming your roommate’s claims are true, you know, true. That could make sense.”

Great, he’s lost another one. “Is there anyone sane around me, or am I alone?”

“There’s Jeno,” Jaemin muses. “Except he’s convinced that his next door neighbor is a wizard or something, so maybe not.”

Donghyuck sighs. “It’s hard, being the only one with brains in this cruel, cruel world.” He gets up to throw out his lunch so that he can head to class. “Alright, it’s time for me to go die in chemistry. Don’t miss me too much while I’m gone, losers.”

“We won’t,” Renjun and Jaemin chorus together, and Donghyuck sticks his tongue out at them before leaving the dining hall and heading towards the science building.

❀

When he gets home later that day, he finds an unfamiliar pair of shoes on their shoe rack. Mark must have a guest over, he thinks.

“Hyuck?” The person in question sticks his head out of the kitchen and waves him over. “You’re home,” he greets. “Come meet my friend.”

Donghyuck throws his bag onto the couch and heads into the kitchen, where he finds the prettiest person he’s ever seen sitting at their dining table. “Whoa.”

“Hello,” the person greets, getting up to shake Donghyuck’s hand. “I’m Taeyong, one of Mark’s brothers. You must be Donghyuck.”

He raises an eyebrow at that. How many brothers did Mark have? “Yeah, that’s me.” He looks at Mark questioningly. “I thought you said you didn’t have a big family.”

Mark shrugs. “Taeyong’s my coven leader.”

Ah, Donghyuck rolls his eyes. He should’ve known. “Right,” he says. “Your coven leader.”

Taeyong has an amused smile on his face. “I see that Mark wasn’t lying,” he chuckles. “You really don’t believe him.”

“Am I supposed to?” Donghyuck tilts his head in a silent challenge. “He won’t even bite me to prove it.”

“Of course he won’t,” Taeyong agrees. “Mark knows better than that. I can assure you, however, that he isn’t lying. Our Mark over here isn’t very good at lying, anyhow, and you’ll come to realize that it’s fairly obvious when he is.”

Donghyuck can’t argue with that, because it’s true. “His eyes get all shifty.”

“They do!” Taeyong laughs in agreement. “Tell me, Donghyuck. Did his eyes get all shifty when he told you who he was?”

“... No,” Donghyuck says slowly. The gears in his brain start turning. “They didn’t.”

Mark grunts out what sounds like an “I told you so,” which Donghyuck rolls his eyes at. Taeyong still has that amused smile on his face.

“Yet you still don’t believe him,” Taeyong muses. “Interesting.”

“Did you come all the way here _just_ to convince me that Mark’s actually a vampire?” Donghyuck asks, a slight frown on his face.

“Oh, no.” Taeyong shakes his head. “I just stopped by to see how our youngest was doing. It’s completely coincidental that I managed to run into you.”

“Yeah right,” Mark mumbles under his breath. He yelps in pain not a second after, though, and Donghyuck looks at him in surprise while Taeyong sips on his drink serenely.

“Well, I suppose I’ll be taking my leave now.” Taeyong gets up. “It was wonderful meeting you, Donghyuck.”

“Uh, likewise.” This is definitely going on Donghyuck’s list of ‘Top 10 Weirdest Interactions’. “You sure you don’t want to, like. I dunno. Stay for dinner or something?”

Taeyong shakes his head. “I can’t say I’m too fond of human food, I’m afraid. I’ll be having dinner with my coven back at home. Thank you for the offer, however. You’re very kind.”

Yeah, this _definitely_ tops Donghyuck’s list now. “You’re welcome?”

“Mark, be a dear and walk me out?” Taeyong’s smile never slips off his face, and Donghyuck feels an odd sense of déjà vu at Taeyong’s words. He returns the tight smile that Mark offers him and watches as the pair leave the kitchen and head towards the door, whispering too quietly for Donghyuck to hear.

He waits for the door to click shut before heading to the living room to grab his bag. _You won’t believe what just happened_ , he texts the group chat frantically. _What the fuck_.

❀

“So, what? His coven leader came all the way to your guys’ apartment just to convince you that your roommate’s not lying? Is that what you’re saying right now?” Jaemin asks in disbelief.

Jeno looks lost as he looks around at his friends. “What did I miss?”

“So much.” Renjun pats Jeno’s hand. His next words don’t match the reassuring action, however. “That’s what you get for ditching us to hang out with Yangyang all the time.”

“I do not ditch you guys to hang out with Yangyang all the time!” Jeno yelps in offense. “I _told_ you guys that I wouldn’t be able to make it to lunch that day—”

“Anyways,” Jaemin cuts in, interrupting Jeno's tirade. “Do you believe in your roommate now?”

Donghyuck snorts. “Are you kidding me? Of course not. I’m going to assume they have like, a roleplay group or something? I’m not judging. I just don’t understand why he wants me to believe that he’s a vampire so badly.”

“Maybe because he _is_ a vampire?” Renjun rolls his eyes, but Donghyuck takes his words with a grain of salt. He doesn’t want to listen to anyone who thinks aliens are real. “Don’t look down on the world of the supernatural, Hyuck. You’ll get into a lot of trouble if you do.”

“Yeah? Who told you that, the goblins who live below you?” Donghyuck asks sweetly, dodging the napkin that Renjun throws at him.

“I can’t wait for proof to be thrown in Donghyuck’s face so that he’ll see the light,” Renjun grunts. “And I hope I’m there to see the fucking expression on his face when it happens.”

“You won’t be,” Donghyuck reassures Renjun, “because it’ll never happen.”

“Never say never,” Jaemin chimes in.

Donghyuck rolls his eyes and steals some of Jeno’s fries.

❀

Much to Donghyuck’s slight annoyance, Mark still hasn’t let up the whole “I’m a vampire” act.

“If you’re a vampire, how can you go out into the sunlight?” Donghyuck accuses. “You don’t even sparkle! And I’ve seen you eat _garlic_ bread!”

Mark sighs. “For the last time, the shit you read in _Twilight_ is all bullshit, and so is the whole garlic thing.”

Donghyuck pouts, crossing his arms. “Fine. But how come I can see your reflection whenever you walk past the mirror in the hall?”

“Uh, because light is reflected off the surface and your eyes basically see what’s being bounced off the mirror—?”

“What about silver?” Donghyuck questions.

“Pretty sure it’s werewolves who are weak to silver.” Mark has an exasperated expression on his face. “Please don’t confuse the two of us. We don’t really get along.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Donghyuck mumbles. “I’m going to stop by the bakery to pick up some sandwiches. Do you want to come with?”

Mark shrugs. “Sure.”

See? Nice and easy, Donghyuck thinks as he watches Mark struggle with his shoes. They would get along so well if Mark wasn’t trying to convince Donghyuck of his vampirism every five minutes.

Just when they exit the building, Mark suddenly pats his pockets with a frown. “I left my wallet inside.”

“I can just pay for you,” Donghyuck says. He doesn't feel like going back up. “I don’t mind.”

“No.” Mark shakes his head. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up to you.”

Donghyuck shrugs. “Suit yourself.”

The bakery isn’t too far away from their apartment, being only three blocks away. He hums as he swings his arms back and forth, wondering what sandwich he should get today.

A whimper gets Donghyuck’s attention and he comes to a stop, trying to figure out where the sound is coming from. When he hears it again, he whips his head towards the alleyway.

Donghyuck isn’t stupid. He knows how the narrative goes: an unknowing, naive pedestrian hears a call of distress and goes to investigate, only to be attacked. But he can’t ignore the way the whimpers get louder and mentally berates himself for being so stupid as he cautiously steps into the alleyway.

“Hello?” Donghyuck calls out. “Anybody here?”

Before he can blink, there’s a hand that grabs him by the throat and slams him into the brick walls. Donghyuck chokes, blinking rapidly. He kicks at the person who has their grip on him, attempting to free himself.

“Don’t struggle,” the person croons. “You’ll just make this harder than it has to be.” There’s a flash of what looks like _really fucking sharp teeth_ and Donghyuck can feel his panic rise.

“Let go of him,” a low voice says. The person turns to look, and Donghyuck can barely make out a glower.

“I found him first,” they snarl. “Find your own prey.”

Donghyuck almost cries when he sees that it’s Mark, watching helplessly as Mark steps closer to them. “No,” Mark disagrees. “He’s mine, so let go of him before I tie you to a stake and let you burn.”

The threat seems to work, and the person drops Donghyuck unceremoniously.

“I would like to see you try,” they sneer.

Their next few movements are too fast for Donghyuck to catch, but soon enough he hears someone running off with a pained howl, and then Mark is helping him sit up. “Are you okay?” He pats Donghyuck down, looking panicked. “Did he hurt you? Did he bite you?”

When Mark looks at him in the eyes, his expression softens and wipes something away. When Donghyuck looks down, he sees that Mark’s thumbs are wet. He hadn’t even realized that he was crying.

“Come on, Hyuck,” Mark says softly. “Let’s go home.”

He turns around, gesturing for Donghyuck to climb onto his back, which Donghyuck does without hesitation. He buries his face into the back of Mark’s neck, hoping that Mark doesn’t mind how wet it gets from Donghyuck’s tears.

He just wants to go home.

❀

When he wakes up, Donghyuck finds himself in his bed with the covers tucked up to his chin.

Not even a second later, Mark enters, as if sensing that Donghyuck’s awake. He has a mug in his hand, which he sets on top of Donghyuck’s nightstand before helping Donghyuck sit up.

“How are you feeling?” he asks, handing Donghyuck the mug. It’s hot chocolate, and Donghyuck’s lips curl up into a smile. It seems that hot chocolate is Mark’s comfort drink.

“I don’t know,” Donghyuck answers honestly. “I just woke up so I didn’t really have time to, you know, process what happened.”

Mark’s gaze is soft as he runs his fingers through Donghyuck’s hair. Just a few months ago, Mark had been avoiding Donghyuck like the plague, and yet here they were now: sitting on Donghyuck’s bed like this, with Mark gazing at him with a fond expression while Donghyuck sips on hot chocolate.

“I’d imagine that you’re probably shaken,” Mark says. He lets his hand drop onto his lap, and Donghyuck finds himself missing the feeling of Mark’s hand in his hair. “I’ll give you some time to wake up a little more. Are you hungry?”

His stomach growls embarrassingly loud at the end of Mark’s question, and the two of them pause at that. Mark looks like he’s trying not to laugh while Donghyuck is mortified.

“I’ll take that as a yes?” Mark offers, biting his bottom lip in an effort to save Donghyuck’s dignity.

“Get out,” Donghyuck whispers, pale with horror. “Oh, my God. This is horrifying. Please get out of my room, Mark Lee.”

Mark laughs, dodging Donghyuck’s kick and walking out of the room. “I ordered take out,” he calls from the kitchen. “I’m going to heat it up, okay?”

Donghyuck groans, wanting to find a hole to bury himself into when he hears Mark’s laugh get louder.

❀

Once they’ve eaten, the two roommates settle on the couch with a tense cloud of silence hovering over them.

“So,” Mark starts. “We should talk about what happened.”

Donghyuck shifts uncomfortably. “Was that…?”

“A vampire,” Mark confirms. He turns in his seat so that he can look at Donghyuck. “One that doesn’t, ah, abide by societal expectations.”

“Vampires have societal expectations?” Donghyuck raises an eyebrow at that. “Wow.”

“Of course we do.” Mark looks offended. “Our kind used to hunt humans in the past, but these days we don’t drink from them directly unless we have permission to.”

“How do you feed, then?” Donghyuck asks, genuinely curious.

“Blood bags,” Mark answers. “All consensual, of course.”

Donghyuck hums. He still doesn’t want to believe that vampires are real, because honestly what the fuck, but he doesn’t think he has a choice now. “So then what about the one that attacked me?”

“We have a lot of names for them,” Mark says. “Savages, rogues… They don’t like the idea of us assimilating into human society and continue to hunt humans for blood. We don’t condone that, of course, and a good chunk of them have been hunted down. I’ve already let Taeyong know about what happened, so your attacker is probably getting tracked down as we speak.”

Somewhere in the middle of explaining, Mark’s taken Donghyuck’s hand in his, rubbing tiny, comforting circles with his thumb.

“I didn’t want to prove that I’m a vampire, and that we exist this way,” Mark says gravely. This is the most serious expression Donghyuck’s ever seen on him. “I’m so sorry that this happened, Donghyuck. I should’ve never left you alone.”

“Stop that.” Donghyuck frowns when he realizes that Mark’s blaming himself. “Neither of us could’ve known that would happen. I’ve walked these streets for months without anything happening. Besides, you showed up just in time to save me, didn’t you? So I should be thanking you. Seriously, your timing was perfect.”

Mark laughs nervously at that. “Yeah.”

Donghyuck stares. There’s something else that Mark’s not telling him. “What?”

“That’s the thing I wanted to talk to you about,” Mark says. “When I first told you that I’m a vampire. The reason my timing was impeccable was because I smelled your distress from over a block away, Donghyuck. Even for my kind, it’s impossible to single out one person’s scent.”

Donghyuck doesn’t understand where Mark’s going with this. “Uh, okay?”

Mark huffs. “Donghyuck, I’m trying to tell you that you’re special to me.”

“What?” Donghyuck is confused. “Um, thank you?”

“You don’t get it,” Mark deadpans. He sighs. “I suck at explaining, don’t I?”

“A little bit, yeah.” Donghyuck rolls his eyes, reaching over to flick Mark’s forehead. He ignores the sting of pain that comes whenever he tries to hit Mark in any way. “So, what? You think my blood smells good? I thought everyone’s blood smells good to vampires.”

“Well, yeah.” Mark scrunches up his nose. “But like, not to this extent, you know? I shouldn’t have had so much trouble controlling myself around you, considering how long I’ve been a vampire.”

Donghyuck smirks at that. “You had trouble controlling yourself around me? Is that why you avoided me like I was some sort of bug for the first few months we lived together?”

Mark grunts. “Maybe.”

“What about now?” Donghyuck leans in, eyes glittering with amusement. “You seem to be fine around me now.”

“Because I came in to terms with it.” Mark states it so simply that Donghyuck feels kind of foolish. “It got easier to be around you when I accepted that I was going to be attracted to you no matter what.”

“Is this, like, a confession or something?” Donghyuck asks, laughing nervously. “This is moving a little fast, don’t you think?”

Mark shrugs. “I have all the time in the world, and I’ve had the past few weeks to sleep on it. I’ll wait, of course. You don’t have to accept it at all, if that’s what you choose. The last thing I want to do is force you to do something you don’t want to do.”

This is the weirdest confession Donghyuck has ever gotten, and when he voices as such, Mark laughs.

“I thought you were already used to the weird happenings around you,” he teases. “The meeting with Taeyong wasn’t enough?”

“That moment is definitely number one in my ‘weirdest interactions’ list,” Donghyuck confirms. “But this is different. Taeyong didn’t confess to me.”

“No, he didn’t,” Mark agrees with a chuckle. “He already has his soulmate. Anyways.” He pats Donghyuck’s hand before letting go. “You should rest. It’s been an… eventful day. Don’t you have a chemistry exam coming up soon?”

“Fuck.” Donghyuck scrambles up from the couch. “Oh, fuck, I forgot.”

Mark’s laughter echoes through the apartment as he watches Donghyuck try to locate his notes, frantically spamming Renjun with the SOS emoji.

❀

Jaemin spits out his drink and Renjun doesn’t bother hiding his disgust.

“Control yourself, heathen,” he says, dropping a napkin in front of Jaemin. He turns to face Donghyuck again and raises an eyebrow. “So, you believe your roommate now? What changed your mind?”

Donghyuck almost tells them about what happened the other day before thinking better about it. He doesn’t want to worry his friends. “Figured that no sane person would spend this long trying to convince their roommate that they’re some sort of supernatural creature. I’ve accepted it. I’m a changed man now, Renjun.”

“Right,” Renjun says dryly. “So, what about the confession?”

“Are you going to accept?” Jeno asks. “You said he’s your type, right?”

“Well, yeah, but that was before I knew he was a 300-year-old vampire,” Donghyuck points out. “A little too old for me, don’t you think?”

Jaemin finally manages to get a hold of himself. “I mean, don’t vampires look like the age they were when they were turned? Did you ask how old he was?”

Donghyuck blinks. “No.”

“Well, there you go.” Renjun holds out his hands with his palms facing up. “Your first topic of discussion.”

“I can’t believe our Duckie got his first college confession,” Jaemin sniffs, dramatically dabbing his eyes with the napkin Renjun dropped in front of him earlier.

“And from a _vampire_ , nonetheless.” Renjun joins in the dramatics.

“They grow up so fast,” Jeno sighs wistfully, looking at Donghyuck as if he’s Jeno’s son or something. “They grow up so fast.”

He’s going to kill his friends one day, Donghyuck vows. One day.

❀

Winter break passes by in a blur and before Donghyuck knows it, he’s back from home, feeling like he’s gained about 10 pounds and carrying his weight in side dishes that his mom packed for him to share with Mark.

“I’m home,” he yells as he kicks off his shoes, shutting the door with his foot. “Mark?”

“In the bathroom,” Mark calls back. “I’ll be right out.”

Donghyuck hums in response, knowing that Mark hears him, and starts to play tetris with their overflowing fridge in an attempt to fit the side dishes inside.

Ever since Donghyuck accepted that Mark is indeed a vampire and that _yes, other supernatural beings exist too, Donghyuck_ , Mark’s taken to leaving his blood bags in the main refrigerator, much to Donghyuck’s ire. It’s a little annoying when he’s trying to fit their other food inside, because the blood bags are so fucking delicate.

(He remembers when he had accidentally shoved a take-out container too hard while trying to make it fit, causing two blood bags to burst. Donghyuck had stared at the mess in shock as Mark scrambled out of his room at the sudden metallic tang in the air.

Donghyuck never wants to relive that moment ever again, so now he’s extra careful when fitting their food inside. Seeing blood all over their refrigerator was enough, thank you. He doesn’t need to see it again.)

“Hey,” Mark greets when he emerges from the hallway, drying his hair with a towel. “How was your break?”

“It was okay,” Donghyuck replies. He reaches over to take the towel from Mark’s hand and gestures for him to sit down, toweling it dry for him instead. “How was yours?”

“Eh.” Mark shrugs. “It was alright, I guess. Sicheng and Taeil came over to visit a lot. Jungwoo ran away again, but Taeil says that he’s okay, so.”

Donghyuck raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean Jungwoo ran away _again_?”

“He does this often,” Mark says, “when it gets too suffocating for him. It’s the same reason I go back to school every now and then.”

“Oh.” They hadn’t really talked about this side of Mark’s world very much, and Donghyuck didn’t know the reason behind why Mark goes back to school. “Does it get suffocating often?”

“Not in a bad way,” replies Mark. “It’s just nice to escape sometimes... to get away from everything. And it’s fun seeing how much humans have advanced while we were cooped up in our little bubble. Though I don’t really know what Jungwoo gets up to whenever he disappears.”

Donghyuck hums. “I see. Okay, all done.” He pats Marks head twice for good measure. “Have you eaten yet?”

“I had lunch with the coven,” Mark says. “What about you?”

Donghyuck grimaces. “My mom shoved three helpings of rice down my throat before letting me leave. I’m tired.”

Mark hesitates before asking, “Want to nap together, then?”

“Sure.” Donghyuck beams. “Let me wash up, first.”

“Okay.” Mark smiles back and takes the towel from Donghyuck’s hand. He pinches Donghyuck’s cheek before walking off towards his bedroom, since he has the bigger bed.

It’s kind of scary how domestic they’ve gotten in the weeks leading up to winter break. He had been worried that the month they spent apart would cause them to become awkward again, but Donghyuck’s glad to see that that’s clearly not the case if Mark wants to take a nap together.

When Donghyuck finishes washing up, he finds that Mark is already asleep. He doesn’t hesitate to dive under the covers to join him, giggling when Mark grunts with displeasure at being jolted.

“Sorry,” he whispers, hands coming up to clutch at the front of Mark’s shirt.

“It’s okay,” Mark mumbles. He wraps an arm around Donghyuck to pull him in close. “Good night, Hyuck.”

“Good night, Mark.”

❀

“So,” Renjun starts as the four of them watch Mark walk away after dropping Donghyuck off at class. “Are you two dating?”

“What?” Donghyuck frowns. “No.”

“Well, why not?” Jaemin asks impatiently. “You told us the other day that you take naps together. And you _cuddle_.”

“He walks you to class,” Jeno adds.

“You two _live_ together,” Renjun practically spits.

Donghyuck shrugs. “We haven’t really talked about it. The semester just started. I literally got home like, four days ago, you jerks.”

Renjun dramatically declares, “I hate these fucking gays.”

“Amen,” Jaemin says solemnly.

“Amen,” Jeno repeats in the same grave tone.

Donghyuck rolls his eyes.

❀

“How old were you when you were turned?” Donghyuck asks.

Mark looks confused at the sudden question. “Uh, nineteen, I think? Maybe twenty. I can’t remember exactly. Why?”

“Just curious.” Donghyuck shrugs. He laces his fingers together and rests his chin on top of them. “My friends know about you.”

“Do they?” Mark sounds amused. “And they believe you?”

“They believed that you were a vampire even before I did,” Donghyuck admits with a laugh.

“Did they now?” Mark sets down a plate of pasta in front of Donghyuck. “You should’ve listened to your friends.”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyways, I was talking to them the other week. Before break,” he clarifies. “Right after you confessed to me.”

Mark freezes for a second before relaxing. “Yeah? What did you talk to them about?”

“They asked if I was going to accept your confession,” Donghyuck admits. “And they keep asking me why we’re not dating yet. Our domesticity grosses them out, apparently. Especially Renjun, which is hypocritical considering how much we’ve had to endure with him and Jisung.”

“You’re rambling,” Mark says gently, bringing Donghyuck’s focus back to the topic on hand. “What did you say to them when they asked?”

Donghyuck chews his lip. “Well, at first I told them that you might be a little too old for me?” He giggles at the way Mark chokes on his food. “What? It’s true. You’re almost 300-years-old and I turn 19 this year.”

“I mean, I guess,” Mark grumbles, accepting the napkin that Donghyuck offers him. “What about now, though?”

Donghyuck hesitates. “I told them we haven’t had a chance to talk about it yet.”

“And do you want to talk about it now?” Mark doesn’t push. He never does. “I did tell you that I’m willing to wait, Donghyuck. There’s no rush.”

“I want to talk about it,” Donghyuck says. “I think it’s pretty obvious that we’re already something more than friends. I don’t like this ambiguity that we have.”

Mark smiles. “Okay. You already know how I feel. What about you? Where do you stand, Donghyuck?”

Mark’s expression is gentle, and Donghyuck knows that no matter what answer he gives Mark, he’ll understand. “I’m worried.”

“About?” Mark questions.

“What happens when… I grow older,” Donghyuck says. “You’re immortal, but I’m not. I’m just a normal human.”

Mark takes a sip of his water before answering. “Well, I was hoping that _this_ particular discussion would come later, but I should’ve known better when it comes to you.” He chuckles fondly before straightening up. “I was hoping, you know, that you wouldn’t be opposed to… being turned.”

Donghyuck’s brain short-circuits. “You… want to turn me into a vampire?”

Mark looks hesitant for the first time that night. “Well, yes. Only if you agree, of course,” he adds in panic. “I would never turn you without your consent, Hyuck. I would accept and support whatever decision you make.”

“I’ll need to think about it,” Donghyuck admits quietly. Mark nods in understanding.

“Of course.” His gaze is soft as he reaches over to take Donghyuck’s hand in his. “I’ve told you before that I’m willing to wait however long it takes.”

“So then, now that that’s out of the way.” Donghyuck squeezes Mark’s hand. “Let’s talk about us.”

“I thought we were already talking about us?”

“No, dummy.” Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “I mean like, are we dating or what?”

Mark squeezes Donghyuck’s hand back. “Do you want to?”

There’s no hesitation when Donghyuck nods, but he knows that Mark wants a verbal answer. “Yeah, I do. I want us to date.”

“Then there you go,” Mark says. “We’re dating now.”

“Okay,” says Donghyuck. “Guess we’re boyfriends now.”

Mark laughs. “Boyfriends,” he agrees, and Donghyuck beams.

_epilogue_

“Do you have your phone?” Mark asks, looking like a worried parent. Donghyuck rolls his eyes.

“Mark, I’m 22, not two,” he says, because apparently his boyfriend needs a reminder sometimes. “Chill out. If anything, you have Jaemin’s number. And Renjun’s. And Jeno’s. _And_ Yangyang’s.”

“Yeah, but still.” Mark pouts. “What if you get lost and I can’t find you?”

Donghyuck narrows his eyes. “I thought you said you could smell me from miles away.”

“I can,” Mark confirms. “But I still worry.”

“I’m graduating, not going off to the army.” Donghyuck sighs, but indulges his worrywart of a boyfriend. “I’m more worried that Yuta’s going to do something stupid. You’ll stop him if he tries, right?”

Mark shrugs. “I can try, but no promises.” He checks his watch. “Oh, shit, you’re going to be late. Ready to be a college graduate?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Donghyuck grins as Mark straightens his tie one last time before dropping a kiss on his forehead. “See you soon?”

“I’ll see you soon, love,” Mark confirms. “Off you go.” He gently pushes Donghyuck towards the arena, smiling softly.

Donghyuck salutes him. He pauses though, and turns back around to tilt his head contemplatively. Mark raises an eyebrow in a silent question.

“After graduation,” he says, “we’ll talk about… the change?”

Understanding floods Mark’s eyes and he nods. “We’ll talk about it after graduation.”

“Great.” Donghyuck lets out a breath. “Let’s fucking do this.”

Mark laughs as Donghyuck marches off, ready to walk across that stage, get his diploma, and kiss university goodbye forever.

Well, until grad school starts and kicks his ass, at least.

(Later, when Donghyuck’s name is called, he flushes at how _loud_ Mark and Yuta are. He can hear the people around him giggling, and curses Mark for not stopping Yuta like he had promised.

“Fucking dorks,” he mumbles under his breath, a pleased smile on his face when he spots a cardboard cutout of his face being held by a reluctant Doyoung. “Fucking dorks everywhere.”)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *mark ends up dropping out after their first year but stays at the apartment so that he can stay with hyuck >_<  
> *does donghyuck decide he wants to be turned into a vamp? who knows! that is completely up to your imaginations :D
> 
> thank you for reading; i hope you all enjoyed the fic!  
> comments are always appreciated (๑❛ᴗ❛๑)


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